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Julie Rovner
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Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KHN’s weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book “Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z,” now in its third edition.

Opponents of the Affordable Care Act may have stopped trying to overturn the entire law in court, but they have not stopped challenging pieces of it — and they have found an ally in Fort Worth, Texas: U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor. In 2018, O’Connor held that the entire ACA was unconstitutional — a ruling eventually overturned by the Supreme Court. Now the judge has found that part of the law’s requirement for insurers to cover preventive care without copays violates a federal religious freedom law.

In a boost for the health law, though, North Carolina has become the 40th state to expand the Medicaid program to lower-income people who were previously ineligible. Even though the federal government will pay 90% of the cost of expansion, a broad swath of states — mostly in the South — have resisted widening eligibility for the program.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call.

Panelists

Rachel Cohrs
Stat News

@rachelcohrs

Read Rachel's stories

Alice Miranda Ollstein
Politico

@AliceOllstein

Read Alice's stories

Sandhya Raman
CQ Roll Call

@SandhyaWrites

Read Sandhya's stories

Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:

• Thursday’s decision out of Texas affects health plans nationwide and is expected to disrupt the health insurance market, which for years has provided preventive care without cost sharing under the ACA. Even if the decision survives a likely appeal, insurers could continue offering the popular, generally not-so-costly benefits, but they would no longer be required to do so.
• The decision, which found that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force cannot mandate coverage requirements, hinges on religious freedom objections to plans covering PrEP, the HIV medication, alongside other preventive care.
• Speaking of the ACA, this week North Carolina became the latest state to expand Medicaid coverage under the health law, which will render an estimated 600,000 residents newly eligible for the program. The development comes amid reports about hospitals struggling to cover uncompensated care, particularly in the 10 states that have resisted expanding Medicaid.
• Pushback against Medicaid expansion has contributed over the years to a yawning coverage divide between politically “blue” and “red” states, with liberal-leaning states pushing to cover more services and people, while conservative-leaning states home in on policies that limit coverage, like work requirements.
• On the abortion front, state attorneys general are challenging the FDA’s authority on the abortion pill — not only in Texas, but also in Washington state, where Democratic state officials are fighting the FDA’s existing restrictions on prescribing and dispensing the drug. The Biden administration has adopted a similar argument as it has in the Texas case challenging the agency’s original approval of the abortion pill: Let the FDA do its job and impose restrictions it deems appropriate, the administration says.
• The FDA is poised to make a long-awaited decision on an over-the-counter birth control pill, an option already available in other countries. One key unknown, though, is whether the agency would impose age restrictions on access to it.
• And as of this week, 160 Defense Department promotions have stalled over one Republican senator’s objections to a Pentagon policy regarding federal payments to service members traveling to obtain abortions.

Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:

Julie Rovner: New York Magazine/The Cut’s “Abortion Wins Elections: The Fight to Make Reproductive Rights the Centerpiece of the Democratic Party’s 2024 Agenda,” by Rebecca Traister.

Alice Miranda Ollstein: Stat’s “How the Drug Industry Uses Fear of Fentanyl to Extract More Profit From Naloxone,” by Lev Facher.

Rachel Cohrs: The Washington Post’s “These Women Survived Combat. Then They Had to Fight for Health Care,” by Hope Hodge Seck.

Sandhya Raman: Capital B’s “What the Covid-19 Pandemic and Mpox Outbreak Taught Us About Reducing Health Disparities,” by Margo Snipe and Kenya Hunter.

Also mentioned in this week’s podcast:

• The New York Times’ “‘We’re Going Away’: A State’s Choice to Forgo Medicaid Funds Is Killing Hospitals,” by Sharon LaFraniere.
• KHN’s “Fresh Produce Is an Increasingly Popular Prescription for Chronically Ill Patients,” by Carly Graf.
• California Healthline’s “Prescription for Housing? California Wants Medicaid to Cover 6 Months of Rent,” by Angela Hart.

click to open the transcript

Transcript: A Judicial Body Blow to the ACA

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’Episode Title: A Judicial Body Blow to the ACAEpisode Number: 291Published: March 30, 2023

[Editor’s note: This transcript, generated using transcription software, has been edited for style and clarity.]

Julie Rovner: Hello and welcome back to KHN’s “What the Health?” I’m Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent at Kaiser Health News. And I’m joined by some of the best and smartest health reporters in Washington. We’re taping this week on Thursday, March 30, at 11 a.m. As always, news happens fast, and things might have changed by the time you hear this. So here we go. Today we are joined via video conference by Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.

Alice Miranda Ollstein: Good morning.

Rovner: Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call.

Sandhya Raman: Good morning.

Rovner: And happy birthday to you.

Raman: Thank you.

Rovner: And Rachel Cohrs of Stat News.

Rachel Cohrs: Hi, everybody.

Rovner: We’ve got breaking news, so we will get right to it. In Texas, we’ve got a major decision from a federal judge with national implications. No, not the abortion pill case — that is still out there. This time, Judge Reed O’Connor has ruled that the Affordable Care Act can’t require coverage of preventive services recommended by the [U.S.] Preventive Services Task Force because the PSTF, as an independent advisory board, can’t legally mandate anything. This case was specifically — although it was about a lot of things — but it was mostly about employers who didn’t want to cover preexposure prophylaxis [PrEP] for people at high risk of HIV because it violated their religious beliefs. And if the name Reed O’Connor sounds familiar, that’s because he’s the same judge who ruled in 2018 that the entire Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional, a finding that wasn’t formally overturned until it got to the Supreme Court. Alice, you’ve been following this case. What happens now?

Ollstein: I’m expecting the Biden administration to appeal at lightning speed, although that appeal will go to the 5th Circuit, which is very right-leaning. It’s ruled to chip away at the Affordable Care Act in the past. So who really knows what will happen there? But yeah, this is really huge. This is saying that this board that has decided what services insurance companies have to cover for free, with no cost sharing, going all the way back to 2010 is not constitutional, and thus what they say can’t be enforced. And so this throws the insurance market into a bit of chaos.

Rovner: Yeah, although one would think that it wouldn’t affect this year’s policies — I mean, for people who are going to be worried that all of a sudden, you know, oh my God, I scheduled my mammogram and now my insurer might not pay for it. It’s not going to be that immediate, right?

Ollstein: We’re not expecting that. I mean, we’re expecting the Biden administration to ask for courts to stay the impact of the ruling until further arguments and appeals can be made. But we really don’t know at this point. And I will say, you know, I’ve seen some misinformation out there about how the ruling deals with contraception. They do not block the contraception mandate. That is related to this case, but the court did not accept that part of the challengers’ claims.

Rovner: Yeah, we should say there are a bunch of different claims and the judge only accepted a couple of them. It could have been even broader. But, you know, unlike the previous Affordable Care Act cases, this one doesn’t threaten the entire law, but it does threaten one of the law’s most popular pieces, those requirements that plans cover preventive care that’s been shown to be cost-effective. This could be an uncomfortable case for the Supreme Court, assuming it gets there, couldn’t it?

Cohrs: It could be an uncomfortable case for the Supreme Court, but it’s also uncomfortable for insurers, too, who’ve promised this. People have come to expect it. And if it is cost-effective, I mean, certainly there may be plans that, you know, make choices to restrict coverage or impose some cost sharing. If this stands, if this is applied nationwide — again, very big ifs at this point — but if these really are cost-effective, then it’s kind of an open question what insurers will choose to do, because obviously they want people to enroll in their plans as well.

Rovner: Yeah, I was going to say, I could see insurers sort of deciding as a group that we’re going to keep providing this stuff, as you say, Rachel, because they want, you know, they want to attract customers, because for the most part it’s not that expensive. I mean, obviously, you know, things like colonoscopies can run into the thousands of dollars, but a lot of these things are, if not de minimis, then just not very expensive. And, as I mentioned, they’re very popular. So it’s possible that, even though they may strike down the mandate, there won’t be as much of an impact from this as some people are saying. But, as Alice points out, we don’t really know anything at this point.

Ollstein: And I think some of the concern is the kind of risk-pool sorting we used to see, you know. So the challengers said that their right to purchase insurance that doesn’t cover certain things was being infringed upon. And so if insurers start to create separate plans, some of which cover all kinds of preventive care, including sexual health care, and separate ones that don’t, and people who don’t think they need a lot of stuff, you know, sort themselves into some plans and not others, you can see that reflected in premiums that could lead to some of the major pre-ACA problems we used to see.

Rovner: If the idea that somebody doesn’t like something and therefore can’t buy something without it, you can see that leading to all kinds of problems down the line about people saying, well, “I don’t like that drugstores sell condoms, so therefore I should be able to go to a drugstore that doesn’t sell condoms,” although that’s not a mandate. But you can see that this could stretch very far with people’s religious beliefs. And indeed, the basis of this claim is that this violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. That’s one of the things that Judge O’Connor found, and that could be taken to quite the extreme, I imagine.

Ollstein: Right. I mean, they weren’t required to actually purchase PrEP. They weren’t required to use it. They weren’t required to prescribe it. Just the insurance company was required to cover it along with everything else they cover. And the folks said even purchasing insurance that had that as one of the things it could conceivably cover violated their religious rights.

Rovner: Yes. And this goes back to the contraceptive cases, where the religious organization said that, you know, by having birth control in their plans, it made them complicit in something that they thought was a sin. And that’s exactly what’s being stressed here, even among the individual plaintiffs: that having to buy insurance that has these benefits, even if they don’t use them, makes them complicit in, basically, sex outside of marriage. I mean, that’s what’s in the decision. It’s quite a reach. I’ll be interested to see, as this goes up, what people think of it. So, before we got Judge O’Connor’s opinion, what I thought would be the biggest news of the week comes from North Carolina, which on Monday became the 40th state to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, to cover people with incomes up to 138% of poverty. That’s about $20,000 in 2023. Well, it’s almost there. The newly eligible 600,000 people won’t be able to sign up until the legislature approves a budget, which is likely later this spring. North Carolina expanding the program leaves only a swath of states across the South, including Florida, Georgia, and Texas, and a couple in the Great Plains as still holding out on a 90% federal match. Is anyone else on the horizon or is this going to be it for a while?

Raman: I think one thing to note about how this is happening is that North Carolina was able to do this finally through the legislature after like a yearslong process. And it has been increasingly rare for this to happen through the legislature. The last time was Virginia, in 2018, but every other state that has done it in recent years has all been through ballot initiative and going that route. And the 10 holdouts that we have, you know, we have Republican-controlled legislatures who’ve been pretty against doing this. So I think if any of those states were to be able to do that at this point that haven’t been tempted by, you know, any of the incentives … [unintelligible] … get a higher match rate or anything like that, it would have to be through the ballot, which is already a difficult process, can take years. There have been various roadblocks to push back and even some of the states in the past that have been able to get it through ballot initiative — some of the legislatures afterwards have tried to like push back on it — when we saw with Utah a few years ago, where even if the voters had voted that they wanted to expand, they wanted to kind of pull it back.

Rovner: We thought in Maine, where the governor blocked it until basically he was out of office.

Raman: Yeah.

Ollstein: And in Missouri, where they just refused to fund it.

Raman: Yeah, so I think that’ll be definitely something to watch with how the budget goes in the next few months. But I guess, at least with North Carolina, this was something that was bipartisan. It was spearheaded in the legislature by Republicans, so I think they might not have the same issues there than Missouri, but it’s a tough haul to get the remaining 10 at this point after this many years.

Rovner: Yeah, I feel like North Carolina is much more like Virginia, which is that, finally, after a lot of wearing down, the Republican legislature and the Democratic governor were able to come to some kind of agreement. That’s what happened in Virginia. And that seems to be what’s happened here in North Carolina. Meanwhile, in those 10 states, hospitals which end up providing free care to people who can’t pay aren’t doing so well. In Florida, the state’s hospital association has been all but begging the state government to expand Medicaid pretty much since it was available to them, which is now going on 13 years. According to the American Hospital Association, 74% of rural hospital closures around the country took place in states that have not expanded Medicaid or where expansion had been in place for less than a year. And the New York Times has a story this week about the toll that that lack of insurance is taking — I’m sorry — and the New York Times has a story this week about the toll that lack of insurance for the working poor is taking there, not just on the state’s hospitals, but on the health of the state’s population. Lawmakers in these states are very happy to take federal money for all manner of things. What is it about this Medicaid expansion that’s making them say, “No, no, no”?

Raman: This was something that came up this week in the House. Appropriations’ Labor, HHS, Education Subcommittee had a hearing this week specifically on rural communities and some of the issues they face. And Medicaid expansion obviously did come up with some of the witnesses and some of the lawmakers as something that would be helpful given the number of hospital closures they’ve seen, and there might only be one health care facility for miles or in a county, and just how it would be helping them to kind of relieve paying for the uncompensated care that they’re already dealing with, you know, highlighted a number of the issues there. So it’s something that comes up, but I think one of the pushbacks that we saw was, you know, again, that it is a) tied to the Affordable Care Act, which has been such a partisan back-and-forth since its inception, and then b) just the messaging has always been about the cost. I mean, even if the general consensus is that it does save money over time for taking care of that care, something that came up was why states get more of a reimbursement for expansion than they do for traditional Medicaid. That was brought up a couple times, things like that. And so I think it’s hard to get some of those folks on board just because of how partisan it has become.

Rovner: Yeah, I remember I watched the hearing in Wyoming on this last year. They didn’t want to do it, it seemed, more for ideology. I mean, a lot of states that are doing this, you know, you can levy a tax on hospitals and nursing homes, who are happy to pay the tax because they’re now getting paid for these patients who couldn’t pay. And the state’s really not out-of-pocket, as it were, at all. But and yet, as we point out, these last 10 states, including some of the really big ones, have yet to actually succumb to this. Well, while we are talking about Medicaid, there have been a couple of interesting stories from my KHN colleagues in the past few weeks about so-called social determinants of health, those not strictly medical interventions that have a big impact on how sick or healthy people are. In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to use Medicaid to pay for six months of rent or temporary housing for homeless people. And in Montana, health professionals can now prescribe vouchers for fruit and vegetables for patients with little access to fresh food. Is this the wave of the future, or will those who want to shrink rather than expand the welfare state and government in general roll programs like these back?

Cohrs: I think there certainly is a trend, a lot of momentum behind the idea of food as medicine and, you know, moving away and exploring some of these non-medication treatments or some of these underlying reasons why people do have health issues. I think certainly support for the Medicaid program is going to be a hot-button issue in D.C. over the next few months, but there is a lot that states can do on their own as well. And I know states have, you know, programs to kind of cover people that fall between the cracks of traditional insurance programs. California has a robust program for that, the local levels as well. So I think there may be ways to get around that, even if we do see some more restrictions. And again, the administration is Democratic at this point, so I think they may be friendlier to some of these innovations than prior ones, and that could change at any time. But this certainly isn’t something that’s going to go away.

Rovner: I wonder if we’re going to end up with blue states having all of these more robust pro — I mean, we already have blue states with more robust programs, but blue states having these more inclusive programs and red states not. Alice, you’re nodding.

Ollstein: Absolutely. And that’s been the trend for a while, but it could even accelerate now, I think, and you’re seeing that on both sides, with blue states looking to cover more and more things; also looking to cover more and more people, including undocumented people. That’s another trend in Medicaid. At the same time, you have red states that have long explored how to cover fewer and fewer, you know, trying to change the income eligibility threshold for expanded Medicaid, trying to do work requirements, trying to do, like, other restrictions. And so I think the patchwork and the divide is only going to continue.

Rovner: Well, moving on to abortion this week, we are still waiting, as I said, for that other decision out of Texas that could impact the future of the abortion pill mifepristone. But Alice, there’s another case at the other end of the country that could have something to say about the Texas case. What’s going on in Washington state?

Ollstein: This one has really flown under the radar. So this is an interesting situation where the same — a lot of the same Democratic attorneys general who were siding with the Biden administration in the Texas case are challenging the Biden administration in a different case in Washington state, basically saying that the remaining federal restrictions on abortion pills — mainly that providers have to get certified in order to prescribe the drugs or dispense them — saying that that should be tossed out, that it’s not supported by medicine and science. And so it’s interesting because you have the Biden administration fighting back against an effort to make the pills more accessible, which is not what a lot of people expect. It goes sort of against their rhetoric in recent months; they’ve talked about wanting to make the pills more accessible and they’re opposing an effort that would do that. But it is somewhat consistent with their position in the Texas case, which is, they’re saying, “Look, this is the FDA’s job. Let the FDA do its job. The FDA has a process, came up with these rules, got rid of some, kept others, and you outside folks don’t have the right to challenge and overturn it.”

Rovner: So what happens if the judges in both of these cases find for the plaintiffs, which would be kind of, but not completely, conflicting?

Ollstein: Yeah, so the Washington state case could just apply to the dozen states that are part of the challenge. And so you could have, again, more of a patchwork in which the abortion pills become even more accessible in those blue states and even less accessible in other states. You could also have these competing rulings that ultimately trigger Supreme Court review.

Rovner: Yeah, it’s not exactly a circuit split because it wouldn’t be opposite decisions on the same case; they’re different cases here. But as you point out, it’s really a case challenging the authority of the FDA to do what the FDA does. So it’s going to be really interesting to watch how this all plays out. While the future of mifepristone remains in doubt, the FDA is going to consider making at least one birth control pill over the counter. We know that morning-after pills, which are high doses of regular birth control pills, are already available without a prescription. So why hasn’t there been an over-the-counter birth control pill until now?

Ollstein: Everything concerning birth control, emergency contraception, abortion, it just — these fights drag on for years and years and years. So finally, we seem to be on the cusp of having a decision on this. It’s expected, from most people I’ve talked to, that they will approve this over-the-counter birth control. There’s a lot of data from around the world. A lot of other countries already have this. And one key unknown is whether the FDA will maintain an age restriction on it. A lot of progressive advocates do not want an age restriction because they think that this is important to help teens prevent unwanted pregnancies. And I think that’s going to be a big piece of the fight that I’m watching.

Rovner: And oh, my goodness, it was that age restriction that held up the over-the-counter morning-after pill for years. That was like a 13-year process to get that over the counter. It went on and on and on, and I covered it. All right. Well, there is abortion-related action on Capitol Hill too this week. We’ve got a potential abortion standoff brewing in the Senate over reproductive health policy at the Department of Defense. Who wants to talk about that one?

Raman: This one has been, I think, really interesting, since we’re all health reporters. And it’s been really something that I think my defense colleagues have been following so closely. But we have Senator Tuberville, who’s been holding up military nominations because the Pentagon has a policy that allows, you know, service members leave for reproductive care and it covers travel to seek an abortion. And so —

Rovner: Although it still doesn’t pay for the abortion.

Raman: It does not pay for the abortions. It’s for the travel. And so I know that my colleagues have looked at this and how this point, like, both sides have been getting a little frustrated, you know, with even some senators saying, “Hey, I agree that I don’t like this policy, but you need to find another way,” because as of earlier this week 160 promotions have been stalled. And so it’s just been kind of ramping up and holding up a lot of folks for kind of an unusual method.

Rovner: Yeah, and the defense secretary saying, I mean, this threatens national security because these are promotions — are important promotions. Flag officers, these are not, you know, just sort of — they’re routine, but they’re, you know, but if they don’t happen, if they get stalled, it’s a problem. In all of my years of seeing anti-abortion senators hold up things, this is not one I have seen before. It’s at least — it’s sort of new and imaginative, and I guess we will see how that plays out. Back in the states, though, it seems that the efforts to restrict reproductive rights are getting very extreme, very fast. Yes, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that a pregnant woman does have a right to an abortion when continuing the pregnancy threatens her life. But four of the nine justices there didn’t even want to go that far, suggesting that the legislature has the right to basically require saving the fetus even at the cost of the pregnant person’s life. In Texas, a lawsuit in which the ex-husband is suing the friend of his ex-wife for the wrongful death of his child for helping her get abortion medication is setting the stage for the so-called personhood debate: the idea that a new person with full legal right is created upon fertilization of an egg by sperm. Over the past few decades, several states have rejected personhood ballot measures as a bridge too far. But it feels like all bets are off now. I mean, it’s sort of like a race to see who can be the most extreme state.

Ollstein: I think the trends are revealing some interesting things. I mean, one, anti-abortion folks are well aware that people are still getting abortions, mainly in one of two ways: either traveling out of state or ordering pills online and taking them at home, both of which are very difficult to enforce and stop. And so there’s just a lot of, like, throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks, in terms of, can we actually criminalize either of those things? If so, how is it enforced, or does it even need to be enforced? Or is just the fear and the chilling effect enough? I mean, we definitely see that. We definitely see medical providers holding off on doing even perfectly legal things because of fear and the chilling effect. And so there’s just a lot of experimentation at the state level right now.

Rovner: Yeah, I forgot to mention Idaho, where the legislature introduced a bill that would make it a crime — that creates abortion trafficking as a crime — for someone to take a minor, it’s not really across state lines, because the state can’t do that, so it’s like taking the minor to the border in an effort to cross state lines to get an abortion. There was, for many years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, something called the Child Custody Protection Act in Congress, because they needed that for the interstate part of it, that would make it a crime to take a minor across state lines in violation of the home state’s parental involvement laws. It passed both the House and the Senate at various times. It never became law. It’s been introduced recently, but nobody’s tried to take it up recently. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that come back up, too. But it really does seem that every day there’s another bill in another state legislature that says — after all the claims of the anti-abortion movement for decades, that we don’t want to punish the women, we only want to punish the providers — that’s gone out the window, right?

Raman: I guess I would add that, you know, we’re seeing a lot of this activity now. But something that I keep in mind is that a) it’s gotten a lot harder to know what’s going to, you know, using the spaghetti metaphor that Alice did, like what will stick. So there’s just a lot more flurry of action. And then I feel like I see increasingly, you know, people, since they don’t know that, just like fixating a lot on various things, just because you don’t know. I think, you know, even a few years ago, there were a lot of things that would have one sponsor or two sponsors and have no chance of going anywhere, as most bills introduced anywhere do. But now, a) a lot of these things are moving very, very quickly in the legislature, and b) since we don’t know, it’s hard to know where to kind of focus, even to some of the experts that I’ve talked to, where it’s just, “We’re not sure.” So just be aware of all of these things in various places because of kind of that uncertainty.

Rovner: Yeah, I know I’m generally loath to talk about bills that got introduced either in Congress or in state legislatures, because I think it unnecessarily creates expectations that for the most part don’t happen. But as both of you say, some of these things are happening so fast that, if you mention them one week, they’re law by the next week. So we will see as this continues to move quickly. All right. That’s the news for this week. Now it is time for our extra credit segment. That’s when we each recommend a story we read this week we think you should read too. As always, don’t worry if you miss it. We will post the links on the podcast page at khn.org and in our show notes on your phone or other mobile device. Rachel, why don’t you go first this week?

Cohrs: All right. So my story is from the Washington Post, and the headline is “These Women Survived Combat. Then They Had to Fight for Health Care,” by Hope Hodge Seck. And I thought it was just a really great feature on this very niche issue. And I think veterans’ kind of health care overall just doesn’t get as much coverage as it should, and —

Rovner: Particularly women’s veteran’s health care.

Cohrs: Exactly. Yes. And so these women were essentially going into combat situations to help relations with women in very conservative cultures, and they were exposed to the grenade blasts and a lot of these combat situations. But then their health care coverage upon returning wasn’t covered. And there is kind of a new bill with some momentum behind it that is trying to plug that loophole. So, yeah, I thought it was a very great feature on an issue that’s undercovered.

Rovner: Yeah, this was something I knew nothing about until I read this story. Alice?

Ollstein: I chose a piece by Rachel’s colleague at Stat, Lev Facher, called “How the Drug Industry Uses Fear of Fentanyl to Extract More Profit From Naloxone.” And this is really timely, with the approval this week of over-the-counter opioid-overdose-reverse medication. And basically it’s about how these drug companies are coming up with new forms of the drug, really huge doses, new delivery forms, injectables, and nasal sprays, and stuff that are not really justified by science and are sort of just an opportunity for more profit because the basic form of the drug that works extremely well and is very affordable, they are basically hyping the fear of fentanyl to try to push these stronger products they’re coming up with. And the fear is that municipal governments that have limited resources are going to spend their money on those not really justified new forms and get fewer medication for everyone than just using the basic stuff that we know works.

Rovner: Indeed. Sandhya?

Raman: My extra credit is from Margo Snipe and Kenya Hunter at Capital B, and it’s called “What the Covid-19 Pandemic and Mpox Outbreak Taught Us About Reducing Health Disparities.” And I thought this was an interesting look that they did, highlighting how, you know, there’s been a lot more talk about the various health inequities among, you know, racial and ethnic and sexual minority communities after these two pandemics have started. And they look at how some of the targeted efforts have narrowed some of the gaps in things like vaccines, but just how some of these lessons can be used to address other health disparities, you know, things like community outreach and expanding types of screenings and how many languages public health information is translated into and things like that. So, it’s a good read.

Rovner: Well, my extra credit this week is a long read, a very long read, by Rebecca Traister in New York Magazine, called “Abortion Wins Elections: The Fight to Make Reproductive Rights the Centerpiece of the Democratic Party’s 2024 Agenda.” And while I’m not sure I’m buying everything that she’s selling here, this is an incredibly thorough and interesting look at the past, present, and possibly future of the abortion rights movement at the national, state, and local levels. If you are truly interested in this subject, it’s well worth the half hour or so of your time that it takes to get through the entire thing. It’s a really, really good piece. OK, that is our show for this week. As always, if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We’d appreciate it if you left us a review; that helps other people find us too. Special thanks, as always, to our ever-patient producer, Francis Ying. Also, as always, you can email us your comments or questions. We’re at whatthehealth@kff.org. Or you can tweet me still. I’m @jrovner. Alice?

Ollstein: @AliceOllstein.

Rovner: Rachel?

Cohrs: @rachelcohrs.

Rovner: Sandhya?

Raman: @SandhyaWrites.

Rovner: We will be back in your feed next week. Until then, be healthy.

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A plan which was in place since 2017 has finally been fulfilled and that is the ability to offer elite, emerging and developing athletes a place where their medicals can be done as well as a full sports medicine assessment.

The launch of the programme, which is a collaboration between the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA), the Barbados Sports Medicine Association (BSMA) and the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Community Empowerment, took place today at the BOA’s headquarters.

Speaking at the launch, president of the BSMA, Dr Carl Ward said that they will initially be catering for around 70 athletes. He said they are trying to offer more to the athletes but it will first start with an assessment clinic.

Ward said athletes will have a comprehensive medical yearly, as well as the medical that they would be required to have before travelling with a team on national duty.

Ward revealed that they will also have a referral system in place to deal with any problems that they may find.

One of the areas which they wish to address is the number of athletes who have been quitting their respective sports due to injuries that have gone untreated.

Another worrying trend that it hopes will be addressed is that of athletes who do not seek out trained professionals due to either financial reasons or lack of knowledge as to where they can find assistance.

Ward hopes that this will be the start of helping to develop and emerging athletes to forge a pathway to the elite level regardless of injury.

Minister of Sport, Charles Griffith said that he also wanted some satellite places for the programme so that those who do not have transportation can still benefit from the programme.

However, Ward pointed out that a lack of human resources was the biggest problem with expanding the programme at the moment which is why they were catering for the current numbers.

Griffith voiced his concern that many athletes do not understand the impact that nutrition has on their careers.

He said a lot will now depend on coaches paying attention to and being aware of what is happening in terms of injuries. He also called for a mandate that all national federations be made to educate their coaches as to what is programs are in place.

Griffith also offered some space at the Wildey Gymnasium to help expand their program.

All three entities BMSA, BOA and the Ministry of Sport hope to collaborate in the future with the University of the West Indies.

(CG)

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Centenarian Lorna Austin was a woman of few words on Wednesday, and her memory may not be the sharpest, but friends and family who helped her celebrate her milestone were full of stories of how lively she was in her younger years.

Their recollections also shared a similar theme – that of a woman whose life focused on the love for her family.

During an intimate party held at her Christ Church home, the Guyanese-born mother of three was mostly quiet as a fuss was made of her.

Her daughter Betty-June Leacock told the media that the day was a special one for her and her family.

“She is actually only the second [centenarian] that I have encountered. I am still in awe of my own mum as a centenarian and I think it has been a wonderful day so far. I feel blessed to have my mom at 100 years and for others to come and share in the experience,” she told the media as she indicated her mother was in good health.

Her brother Nigel Austin mirrored those sentiments, adding: “She is an example of what perseverance and resolve is all about… a perfect example of that. I hope to be able to follow in those footsteps.”

He spoke about some of his mother’s life experiences, including studying in England, doing secretarial work at The Barbados Advocate, and being a secretary for the late Sir William Arthur Lewis during his time as President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

However, he said it was the love for her late husband, Leo Austin that meant the most to her during her lifetime and she felt the weight of his passing in 1996.

“Daddy always had like this umbrella over her to protect her, had her like in a bubble. Anything she wanted, Daddy took care of. She was devastated when he passed…. We were really worried about her,” Austin recalled.

“Over time, she bounced back and at that age, she then decided to embrace technology. She got onto the computer, learned how to use [it], communicated with all of her friends overseas via email, [and] took all of the bookings for the apartments, which she rented out, via email.

“I know the days where she would say ‘Nigel, when you come over I want you to look at the computer for me, I am not getting online’ or ‘there is an email I want to send but these attachments are not going’. She was fascinated all of the time with technology. Then when cell phones came about, where we could take pictures and so on, up till now she is still amazed about how you could take photographs on a cell phone.”

The centenarian’s best friend Norma Odle spoke about their friendship.

“We had great times together [and] always kept close together. As the children came on, I even remember Old Year’s Night when Leo and Lorna would bring the kids over to my house with my kids, and the four of us, my husband and I and Lorna and Leo, would go dancing, [and] bring back home the top hats for the children the next morning.

“We had some beautiful times together… never left each other out. Since my husband died 28 years ago, Leo passed the year after him, and Lorna and I kept very close always,” she said.

Odle said that while Austin no longer remembered her, the love she had for her close friend has not faded.

“She doesn’t know me now but I am still close in heart with her…. I love her very much,” she said.

Representatives from the Barbados Association of Retired Persons as well as the National Union of Public Workers paid tribute to Austin during the celebrations.

The centenarian has three children and five grandchildren, most of whom still live in Barbados. (SB)

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Their findings, published in Med-Cell Press’ new peer-reviewed medical journal-used deep learning and advanced imaging analysis to study the genetics of heart structure. Their results were telling.

“We found that individuals with spherical hearts were 31% more likely to develop atrial fibrillation and 24% more likely to develop cardiomyopathy, a type of heart muscle disease,” said David Ouyang, MD, a cardiologist in the Smidt Heart Institute and a researcher in the Division of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.

The risk was identified after investigators analyzed cardiac MRI images from 38,897 healthy individuals from the UK Biobank. Using this same database, researchers then used computational models to identify genetic markers of the heart that are associated with these cardiac conditions.

“By looking at the genetics of sphericity, we found four genes associated with cardiomyopathy: PLN, ANGPT1, PDZRN3, and HLA DR/DQ,” said Ouyang. “The first three of these genes were also associated with a greater risk of developing atrial fibrillation.”

Atrial fibrillation, the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm disorder, greatly increases a person’s risk of having a stroke. The condition is rising in prevalence and projected to affect 12.1 million people in the U.S. by 2030.

Cardiomyopathy is a type of heart muscle disease that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body and can eventually lead to heart failure. The main types of cardiomyopathies-dilated, hypertrophic, arrhythmogenic and restrictive-affect as many as 1 of every 500 adults.

Cedars-Sinai cardiologists say the shape of one’s heart changes over years, typically becoming rounder over time and especially after a major cardiac event like a heart attack.

“A change in the heart’s shape may be a first sign of disease,” said Christine M. Albert, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Cardiology in the Smidt Heart Institute and a study author. “Understanding how a heart changes when faced with illness-coupled with now having more reliable and intuitive imaging to support this knowledge-is a critical step in prevention for two life-altering diseases.”

Ouyang says the findings provide more clarity on the potential use of cardiac imaging to diagnose more effectively-and prevent-many conditions. He also emphasized the need for additional studies.

“Large biobanks with cardiac imaging data now offer an opportunity to analyze and define variation in cardiac structure and function that was not possible using traditional approaches,” said Ouyang. “Deep learning and computer vision also allow for faster as well as more comprehensive cardiac measures that may help to identify genetic variations affecting a heart-up to years or even decades before any obvious heart disease develops.”

Reference:

Deep learning-enabled analysis of medical images identifies cardiac sphericity as an early marker of cardiomyopathy and related outcomes,Med,doi 10.1016/j.medj.2023.02.009

View the full post Wastewater system for La Calome Housing Development on NOW Grenada.

स्वास्थ्य सेवा के मामले में, बिहार में सरकारी और निजी दोनों तरह के कई अस्पताल और मेडिकल कॉलेज हैं। बिहार में 12 सरकारी और 8 निजी मेडिकल कॉलेज हैं और वे सामूहिक रूप से 2023 तक 2565 एमबीबीएस सीटों और 1090 एमडी, एमएस और पीजी डिप्लोमा सीटों की पेशकश करते हैं। सरकार की भारत के हर जिले में एक मेडिकल कॉलेज स्थापित करने की योजना है।

बिहार में एमबीबीएस सीटों की संख्या प्रत्येक वर्ष भिन्न हो सकती है और सरकार की नीतियों, बुनियादी ढांचे और संकाय उपलब्धता जैसे कारकों के आधार पर परिवर्तन के अधीन है।

बिहार के कुछ प्रमुख अस्पतालों में पटना मेडिकल कॉलेज और अस्पताल, अखिल भारतीय आयुर्विज्ञान संस्थान (AIIMS) पटना, और इंदिरा गांधी आयुर्विज्ञान संस्थान (IGIMS) पटना शामिल हैं।

ये मेडिकल कॉलेज एमबीबीएस (MBBS) , बीडीएस (BDS) , एमएस (MS) , एमडी (MD) और कई अन्य पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करते हैं। इन पाठ्यक्रमों में प्रवेश एनईईटी-यूजी (NEET UG) और एनईईटी-पीजी (NEET PG) जैसी राष्ट्रीय स्तर और राज्य स्तरीय प्रवेश परीक्षाओं के माध्यम से होता है।

बिहार में, एमबीबीएस (MBBS) प्रवेश के लिए राज्य काउंसलिंग बिहार संयुक्त प्रवेश प्रतियोगी परीक्षा बोर्ड (बीसीईसीई, BCECE) द्वारा आयोजित की जाती है। काउंसलिंग प्रक्रिया NEET-UG स्कोर और रैंक के आधार पर आयोजित की जाती है।

राष्ट्रीय पात्रता-सह-प्रवेश परीक्षा NEET के परिणाम घोषित होने के बाद राज्य परामर्श प्रक्रिया (Counselling) शुरू होती है। जिन उम्मीदवारों ने NEET के लिए अर्हता प्राप्त की है, उन्हें बीसीईसीई (BCECE) की आधिकारिक वेबसाइट पर काउंसलिंग के लिए पंजीकरण करना आवश्यक है।

काउंसलिंग प्रक्रिया के दौरान उम्मीदवार अपनी रुचि के मेडिकल कॉलेज का चयन कर सकते हैं, और सीटों को उम्मीदवार की NEET रैंक, रुचियों और सीटों की उपलब्धता के आधार पर आवंटित किया जाता है।

अंडरग्रेजुएट मेडिकल कॉलेजों के लिए MCC/DGHS 15% अखिल भारतीय कोटा और केंद्रीय संस्थानों (ABVIMS और RML अस्पताल / VMMC और सफदरजंग अस्पताल / ESIC) / केंद्रीय विश्वविद्यालयों के 85% राज्य कोटा सहित 100% सीटों के लिए सफल उम्मीदवारों के लिए काउंसलिंग आयोजित करता है। DU/BHU/AMU)/AIIMS/JIPMER और डीम्ड विश्वविद्यालयों सहित।

MCC केवल AFMC पंजीकरण प्रक्रिया को पूरा करता है और AFMC अधिकारियों को प्रवेश प्रक्रिया के लिए नामांकित उम्मीदवारों की जानकारी प्रदान करता है। ग्रेड को डीयू/बीएचयू या अन्य विश्वविद्यालयों द्वारा दी जाने वाली किसी भी अतिरिक्त प्रासंगिक कक्षाओं पर लागू किया जा सकता है।

राष्ट्रीय चिकित्सा आयोग (National Medical Commission, NMC) की आधिकारिक (official) वेबसाइट के अनुसार, ये बिहार में मान्यता प्राप्त सरकारी और निजी मेडिकल कॉलेज हैं।

बिहार के सरकारी मेडिकल कॉलेज:
1. पटना मेडिकल कॉलेज, पटना

पटना मेडिकल कॉलेज भारत के बिहार राज्य के पटना शहर में स्थित एक प्रसिद्ध मेडिकल कॉलेज है। यह वर्ष 1925 में स्थापित किया गया था और यह देश के सबसे पुराने और सबसे प्रतिष्ठित मेडिकल कॉलेजों में से एक है।

कॉलेज आर्यभट्ट नॉलेज यूनिवर्सिटी, पटना से संबद्ध है, और राष्ट्रीय चिकित्सा आयोग (NMC) द्वारा स्नातक और स्नातकोत्तर चिकित्सा शिक्षा के लिए मान्यता प्राप्त है। यह विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं जैसे एनाटॉमी (Anatomy), एनेस्थीसिया (Anesthesia), बायोकैमिस्ट्री (Biochemistry), डर्मेटोलॉजी (Dermatology) , जनरल मेडिसिन (General Medicine), नेत्र विज्ञान (Ophthalmology), हड्डी रोग (Orthopedics) , बाल रोग (Pediatrics), मनोरोग (Psychiatry), रेडियोलॉजी (Radiology), सर्जरी (Surgery) आदि में एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है।

पटना मेडिकल कॉलेज में 2000 से अधिक बेड वाला एक सुसज्जित अस्पताल भी है, जहाँ छात्र विभिन्न चिकित्सा विषयों में व्यावहारिक अनुभव प्राप्त कर सकते हैं। कॉलेज में उच्च योग्य फैकल्टी हैं जो अपने-अपने क्षेत्र के विशेषज्ञ हैं और छात्रों को गुणवत्तापूर्ण शिक्षा प्रदान करते हैं।

2. इंदिरा गांधी आयुर्विज्ञान संस्थान, शेखपुरा, पटना

इंदिरा गांधी आयुर्विज्ञान संस्थान (IGIMS) शेखपुरा, पटना, बिहार में स्थित एक सरकारी मेडिकल कॉलेज और अस्पताल है। इसकी स्थापना वर्ष 1983 में हुई थी और इसका नाम भारत की पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री इंदिरा गांधी के नाम पर रखा गया है।

IGIMS MBBS, और B.Sc. जैसे स्नातक चिकित्सा पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। नर्सिंग (Nursing), और विभिन्न विशेषज्ञताओं में एमडी (MD) , एमएस (MS) , एम.सीएच, (MCh) और डीएम (DM) जैसे स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रम। कॉलेज में प्रति वर्ष कुल 100 छात्रों की एमबीबीएस (MBBS)सीट है।

IGIMS शिक्षाविदों के अलावा बिहार और पड़ोसी राज्यों के मरीजों को भी चिकित्सा सुविधा प्रदान करता है। अस्पताल में 43 विभाग और 20 विशेषताएँ हैं, जिसमें कुल 1000 बेड की क्षमता है।

IGIMS आर्यभट्ट नॉलेज यूनिवर्सिटी से संबद्ध है और राष्ट्रीय चिकित्सा आयोग (NMC) द्वारा मान्यता प्राप्त है। कॉलेज में अनुभवी डॉक्टरों और प्रोफेसरों की एक समर्पित फैकल्टी टीम है जो शिक्षण, अनुसंधान और नैदानिक कार्य में शामिल हैं।

3. अखिल भारतीय आयुर्विज्ञान संस्थान (AIIMS), पटना

अखिल भारतीय आयुर्विज्ञान संस्थान (AIIMS) पटना, बिहार, भारत में स्थित एक प्रमुख मेडिकल कॉलेज और अस्पताल है। यह वर्ष 2012 में स्थापित किया गया था और स्वास्थ्य और परिवार कल्याण मंत्रालय, भारत सरकार द्वारा स्थापित सात एम्स संस्थानों में से एक है।

कॉलेज विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। कॉलेज में 1000 से अधिक बेड वाला एक सुसज्जित अस्पताल है, जो छात्रों को विभिन्न चिकित्सा विषयों में व्यावहारिक अनुभव प्रदान करता है।

AIIMS पटना में अत्यधिक योग्य और अनुभवी शिक्षक हैं जो अपने-अपने क्षेत्र के विशेषज्ञ हैं और छात्रों को गुणवत्तापूर्ण शिक्षा प्रदान करते हैं। कॉलेज में छात्रों की शैक्षणिक और अनुसंधान आवश्यकताओं का समर्थन करने के लिए अत्याधुनिक सुविधाएं जैसे प्रयोगशालाएं (Laboratories) , एक पुस्तकालय और अन्य सुविधाएं भी हैं।

4. नालंदा मेडिकल कॉलेज, पटना

नालंदा मेडिकल कॉलेज पटना, बिहार, भारत में स्थित एक प्रतिष्ठित मेडिकल कॉलेज है। कॉलेज की स्थापना वर्ष 1970 में हुई थी और यह आर्यभट्ट ज्ञान विश्वविद्यालय, पटना से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों में एनाटॉमी (Anatomy), एनेस्थीसिया (Anesthesiology) , बायोकैमिस्ट्री (Biochemistry) , त्वचाविज्ञान (Dermatology), सामान्य चिकित्सा (General Medicine), प्रसूति और स्त्री रोग (Obstetrics and Gynaecology), नेत्र विज्ञान (Ophthalmology), हड्डी रोग (Orthopedics) , बाल रोग (Pediatrics), मनोरोग (Psychiatry), रेडियोलॉजी (Radiology) , सर्जरी (Surgery), आदि जैसे विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। कॉलेज में 1000 से अधिक बेड वाला सुसज्जित अस्पताल, छात्रों को विभिन्न चिकित्सा विषयों में व्यावहारिक अनुभव प्रदान करता है।

नालंदा मेडिकल कॉलेज में उच्च योग्य संकाय (Faculty) हैं जो अपने संबंधित क्षेत्रों के विशेषज्ञ हैं और छात्रों को गुणवत्तापूर्ण शिक्षा प्रदान करते हैं। कॉलेज में अच्छी तरह से सुसज्जित प्रयोगशालाएँ, एक पुस्तकालय और छात्रों की शैक्षणिक और शोध आवश्यकताओं का समर्थन करने के लिए अन्य सुविधाएं भी हैं।

कॉलेज का अनुसंधान और नवाचार (Innovation) पर एक मजबूत ध्यान है, और छात्रों के बीच वैज्ञानिक सोच और पूछताछ को बढ़ावा देने के लिए नियमित रूप से सेमिनार, कार्यशालाएं और सम्मेलन आयोजित करता है। नालंदा मेडिकल कॉलेज अपने छात्रों को गुणवत्तापूर्ण चिकित्सा शिक्षा और प्रशिक्षण प्रदान करने और सक्षम और कुशल चिकित्सा पेशेवर तैयार करने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध है।

5. दरभंगा मेडिकल कॉलेज, लेहरियासराय

दरभंगा मेडिकल कॉलेज (DMCH) भारत के बिहार राज्य के लेहरियासराय में स्थित एक प्रसिद्ध मेडिकल कॉलेज है। यह वर्ष 1946 में स्थापित किया गया था और आर्यभट्ट ज्ञान विश्वविद्यालय, पटना से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों में एनाटॉमी (Anatomy) , एनेस्थीसिया (Anesthesiology) , बायोकैमिस्ट्री (Biochemistry) , त्वचाविज्ञान (Dermatology), सामान्य चिकित्सा (General Medicine), प्रसूति और स्त्री रोग (Obstetrics and gynae), नेत्र विज्ञान (Ophthalmology), हड्डी रोग (Orthopedics), बाल रोग (Pediatrics) , मनोरोग (Psychiatry) , रेडियोलॉजी (Radiology), सर्जरी (Surgery), आदि जैसे विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। कॉलेज में 700 से अधिक बेड वाला सुसज्जित अस्पताल, छात्रों को विभिन्न चिकित्सा विषयों में व्यावहारिक अनुभव प्रदान करता है।

DMCH में एक उच्च योग्य संकाय (Faculty) है जिसमें प्रोफेसर, एसोसिएट प्रोफेसर और सहायक प्रोफेसर शामिल हैं जो अपने संबंधित क्षेत्रों के विशेषज्ञ हैं। कॉलेज में अच्छी तरह से सुसज्जित प्रयोगशालाएँ, एक पुस्तकालय और छात्रों की शैक्षणिक (Educational) और शोध आवश्यकताओं का समर्थन करने के लिए अन्य सुविधाएं भी हैं।

कॉलेज का अनुसंधान और नवाचार पर एक मजबूत ध्यान है, और छात्रों के बीच वैज्ञानिक सोच और पूछताछ को बढ़ावा देने के लिए नियमित रूप से सेमिनार, कार्यशालाएं और सम्मेलन आयोजित करता है। DMCH अपने छात्रों को गुणवत्तापूर्ण चिकित्सा शिक्षा (quality medical education) और प्रशिक्षण (training) प्रदान करने और सक्षम और कुशल चिकित्सा पेशेवर तैयार करने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध है जो स्वास्थ्य सेवा उद्योग में महत्वपूर्ण योगदान दे सकते हैं।

6. श्री कृष्णा मेडिकल कॉलेज, मुजफ्फरपुर

श्री कृष्णा मेडिकल कॉलेज (SKMCH) मुजफ्फरपुर, बिहार, भारत में स्थित एक प्रमुख मेडिकल कॉलेज है। यह वर्ष 1970 में स्थापित किया गया था और आर्यभट्ट ज्ञान विश्वविद्यालय, पटना से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों में एनाटॉमी (Anatomy) , एनेस्थीसिया (Anesthesiology) , बायोकैमिस्ट्री (Biochemistry) , त्वचाविज्ञान (Dermatology), सामान्य चिकित्सा (General Medicine), प्रसूति और स्त्री रोग (Obstetrics and gynae), नेत्र विज्ञान (Ophthalmology), हड्डी रोग (Orthopedics), बाल रोग (Pediatrics) , मनोरोग (Psychiatry) , रेडियोलॉजी (Radiology), सर्जरी (Surgery), आदि जैसे विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। कॉलेज में 610 बेड वाला सुसज्जित अस्पताल, छात्रों को विभिन्न चिकित्सा विषयों में व्यावहारिक अनुभव प्रदान करता है।

 SKMCH में उच्च योग्य फैकल्टी हैं जो अपने-अपने क्षेत्र के विशेषज्ञ हैं और छात्रों को गुणवत्तापूर्ण शिक्षा प्रदान करते हैं। कॉलेज में छात्रों की शैक्षणिक और अनुसंधान आवश्यकताओं का समर्थन करने के लिए अच्छी तरह से सुसज्जित प्रयोगशालाएं, पुस्तकालय और अन्य सुविधाएं भी हैं।

7. अनुग्रह नारायण मगध, मेडिकल कॉलेज, गया

अनुग्रह नारायण मगध मेडिकल कॉलेज (ANMMC) गया, बिहार, भारत में स्थित एक प्रसिद्ध मेडिकल कॉलेज है। कॉलेज की स्थापना वर्ष 1969 में हुई थी और यह आर्यभट्ट नॉलेज यूनिवर्सिटी, पटना से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों में एनाटॉमी (Anatomy) , एनेस्थीसिया (Anesthesiology) , बायोकैमिस्ट्री (Biochemistry) , त्वचाविज्ञान (Dermatology), सामान्य चिकित्सा (General Medicine), प्रसूति और स्त्री रोग (Obstetrics and gynae), नेत्र विज्ञान (Ophthalmology), हड्डी रोग (Orthopedics), बाल रोग (Pediatrics) , मनोरोग (Psychiatry) , रेडियोलॉजी (Radiology), सर्जरी (Surgery), आदि जैसे विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। कॉलेज में 500 से अधिक बिस्तरों वाला सुसज्जित (well-equipped) अस्पताल, छात्रों को विभिन्न चिकित्सा विषयों में व्यावहारिक अनुभव प्रदान करता है।

ANMMC में अत्यधिक योग्य फैकल्टी हैं जो अपने-अपने क्षेत्र के विशेषज्ञ हैं और छात्रों को गुणवत्तापूर्ण शिक्षा प्रदान करते हैं।

8. जवाहरलाल नेहरू मेडिकल कॉलेज, भागलपुर

जवाहरलाल नेहरू मेडिकल कॉलेज (JNMC) भारत के बिहार के भागलपुर शहर में स्थित एक प्रसिद्ध मेडिकल कॉलेज है। कॉलेज की स्थापना वर्ष 1971 में हुई थी और यह आर्यभट्ट नॉलेज यूनिवर्सिटी, पटना से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों (postgraduate courses) में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। कॉलेज में 600 से अधिक बेड वाला एक सुसज्जित अस्पताल भी है, जो छात्रों को विभिन्न चिकित्सा विषयों में व्यावहारिक अनुभव प्रदान करता है।

JNMC में अत्यधिक योग्य फैकल्टी हैं जो अपने-अपने क्षेत्र के विशेषज्ञ हैं और छात्रों को गुणवत्तापूर्ण शिक्षा प्रदान करते हैं।

9. गवर्नमेंट मेडिकल कॉलेज, बेतिया

गवर्नमेंट मेडिकल कॉलेज बेतिया बिहार का एक प्रतिष्ठित मेडिकल कॉलेज है जो अपने छात्रों को गुणवत्तापूर्ण शिक्षा (Quality Education)और प्रशिक्षण प्रदान करता है और इस क्षेत्र में स्वास्थ्य सेवा क्षेत्र के विकास में महत्वपूर्ण योगदान देता है। कॉलेज वर्ष 2013 में स्थापित किया गया था और आर्यभट्ट ज्ञान विश्वविद्यालय, पटना से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों (postgraduate courses) में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। कॉलेज में 500 से अधिक बेड वाला एक सुसज्जित अस्पताल भी है, जो छात्रों को विभिन्न चिकित्सा विषयों में व्यावहारिक अनुभव प्रदान करता है।

10. वर्धमान आयुर्विज्ञान संस्थान, पावापुरी, नालंदा

वर्धमान इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ मेडिकल साइंसेज (VIMS) भारत के बिहार के नालंदा जिले के पावापुरी में स्थित एक सरकारी मेडिकल कॉलेज है। कॉलेज वर्ष 2013 में स्थापित किया गया था और आर्यभट्ट ज्ञान विश्वविद्यालय, पटना से संबद्ध है। कॉलेज में अच्छी तरह से सुसज्जित प्रयोगशालाएँ, एक पुस्तकालय और छात्रों की शैक्षणिक और शोध आवश्यकताओं का समर्थन करने के लिए अन्य सुविधाएं भी हैं।

कॉलेज का अनुसंधान और नवाचार (Innovation) पर एक मजबूत ध्यान है, और छात्रों के बीच वैज्ञानिक सोच और पूछताछ को बढ़ावा देने के लिए नियमित रूप से सेमिनार, कार्यशालाएं और सम्मेलन आयोजित करता है।

11. जननायक कर्पूरी ठाकुर मेडिकल कॉलेज एंड हॉस्पिटल, मधेपुरा, बिहार

जननायक कर्पूरी ठाकुर मेडिकल कॉलेज एंड हॉस्पिटल मधेपुरा, बिहार, भारत में स्थित एक सरकारी मेडिकल कॉलेज है। कॉलेज की स्थापना वर्ष 2019 में हुई थी और यह आर्यभट्ट ज्ञान विश्वविद्यालय, पटना से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज एमबीबीएस (MBBS) में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है और निकट भविष्य में स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करने की योजना है। कॉलेज में 500 से अधिक बेड वाला एक सुसज्जित अस्पताल भी है, जो छात्रों को विभिन्न चिकित्सा विषयों में व्यावहारिक अनुभव प्रदान करता है।

जननायक कर्पूरी ठाकुर मेडिकल कॉलेज एंड हॉस्पिटल बिहार में एक अपेक्षाकृत (relatively) नया लेकिन होनहार मेडिकल कॉलेज है जो अपने छात्रों को गुणवत्तापूर्ण शिक्षा और प्रशिक्षण प्रदान करता है और स्वास्थ्य सेवा क्षेत्र के विकास में महत्वपूर्ण योगदान देने की क्षमता रखता है।

12. कर्मचारी राज्य बीमा निगम मेडिकल कॉलेज, पटना

कर्मचारी राज्य बीमा निगम (ESIC) मेडिकल कॉलेज, पटना भारत के बिहार के पटना जिले के बिहटा में स्थित एक सरकारी मेडिकल कॉलेज है। कॉलेज वर्ष 2013 में स्थापित किया गया था और आर्यभट्ट ज्ञान विश्वविद्यालय, पटना से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज एमबीबीएस  (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों में एनाटॉमी (Anatomy) , एनेस्थीसिया (Anesthesiology) , बायोकैमिस्ट्री (Biochemistry) , त्वचाविज्ञान (Dermatology), सामान्य चिकित्सा (General Medicine), प्रसूति और स्त्री रोग (Obstetrics and gynae), नेत्र विज्ञान (Ophthalmology), हड्डी रोग (Orthopedics), बाल रोग (Pediatrics) , मनोरोग (Psychiatry) , रेडियोलॉजी (Radiology), सर्जरी (Surgery),आदि जैसे विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। कॉलेज में 300 से अधिक बेड वाला सुसज्जित अस्पताल, छात्रों को विभिन्न चिकित्सा विषयों में व्यावहारिक अनुभव प्रदान करता है।

बिहार के निजी मेडिकल कॉलेज:1. कटिहार मेडिकल कॉलेज, कटिहार

कटिहार मेडिकल कॉलेज कटिहार, बिहार, भारत में स्थित एक निजी मेडिकल कॉलेज है। कॉलेज की स्थापना वर्ष 1987 में हुई थी और यह बी.एन. मंडल विश्वविद्यालय, मधेपुरा से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों में एनाटॉमी (Anatomy) , एनेस्थीसिया (Anesthesiology) , बायोकैमिस्ट्री (Biochemistry) , त्वचाविज्ञान (Dermatology), सामान्य चिकित्सा (General Medicine), प्रसूति और स्त्री रोग (Obstetrics and gynae), नेत्र विज्ञान (Ophthalmology), हड्डी रोग (Orthopedics), बाल रोग (Pediatrics) , मनोरोग (Psychiatry) , रेडियोलॉजी (Radiology), सर्जरी (Surgery),आदि जैसे विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। कॉलेज में एक अच्छी तरह से भी है। -590 बिस्तरों वाला सुसज्जित अस्पताल, छात्रों को विभिन्न चिकित्सा विषयों में व्यावहारिक अनुभव प्रदान करता है।

कटिहार मेडिकल कॉलेज में उच्च योग्य फैकल्टी है जो अपने-अपने क्षेत्र के विशेषज्ञ हैं और छात्रों को गुणवत्तापूर्ण शिक्षा प्रदान करते हैं। कॉलेज में अच्छी तरह से सुसज्जित प्रयोगशालाएँ, एक पुस्तकालय और छात्रों की शैक्षणिक और शोध आवश्यकताओं का समर्थन करने के लिए अन्य सुविधाएं भी हैं।

2. माता गुजरी मेमोरियल मेडिकल कॉलेज, किशनगंज

माता गुजरी मेमोरियल मेडिकल कॉलेज किशनगंज, बिहार, भारत में स्थित एक निजी मेडिकल कॉलेज है। कॉलेज की स्थापना वर्ष 2013 में हुई थी और यह बी.एन. मंडल विश्वविद्यालय, मधेपुरा से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। सभी सुविधाओं और अत्याधुनिक तकनीक (latest technology) से युक्त 630 बेड वाला एक पूरी तरह से संचालित अस्पताल कॉलेज से जुड़ा हुआ है।

3. नारायण मेडिकल कॉलेज एंड हॉस्पिटल, सासाराम

नारायण मेडिकल कॉलेज एंड हॉस्पिटल सासाराम, बिहार, भारत में स्थित एक निजी मेडिकल कॉलेज है। कॉलेज वर्ष 2008 में स्थापित किया गया था और आर्यभट्ट ज्ञान विश्वविद्यालय, पटना से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों (postgraduate courses) में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। मेडिकल कॉलेज की इमारत और 650 बेड वाला अस्पताल 25 एकड़ जमीन पर स्थित है जिसे परियोजना के पहले चरण के रूप में विकसित किया गया था। ये सुविधाएं हर श्रेणी के रोगियों को सर्वोत्तम चिकित्सा देखभाल और ध्यान प्रदान करती हैं और कुशल चिकित्सा पेशेवरों से शीर्ष स्तर की चिकित्सा सेवाएं प्रदान करती हैं।

4. भगवान बुद्ध कोशी मेडिकल कॉलेज एवं अस्पताल, सहरसा

भगवान बुद्ध कोशी मेडिकल कॉलेज और अस्पताल सहरसा, बिहार, भारत में स्थित एक निजी मेडिकल कॉलेज है। कॉलेज की स्थापना वर्ष 2012 में हुई थी और यह बी.एन. मंडल विश्वविद्यालय, मधेपुरा से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों में एनाटॉमी, एनेस्थीसिया, बायोकैमिस्ट्री, डर्मेटोलॉजी, जनरल मेडिसिन, ऑब्स्टेट्रिक्स और जीआई जैसे विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। भगवान बुद्ध कोशी मेडिकल कॉलेज और अस्पताल के कर्मचारी अत्यधिक योग्य हैं, अपने क्षेत्रों के विशेषज्ञ हैं, और प्रतिबद्ध हैं। छात्रों को उत्कृष्ट शिक्षा देने के लिए। अकादमिक और अध्ययन सहायता के लिए छात्रों की आवश्यकताओं को पूरा करने के लिए कॉलेज में एक अच्छी तरह से भंडारित पुस्तकालय, प्रयोगशालाएं और अन्य संसाधन भी हैं।

5. मधुबनी मेडिकल कॉलेज, मधुबनी

पर्याप्त स्वास्थ्य देखभाल सेवाओं के मामले में राज्य के अन्य जिलों की तुलना में कम पड़ने वाले जिले मधुबनी के निवासियों को देने के लिए, 600-बेड मल्टीस्पेशलिटी मधुबनी मेडिकल कॉलेज अस्पताल की स्थापना की गई थी।

अस्पताल के सभी मुख्य विभाग मौजूद हैं, और शीर्ष चिकित्सा पेशेवर 24/7 कॉल पर हैं। अस्पताल में आईसीयू, आईसीसीयू, एनआईसीयू, 24-घंटे आपातकालीन, मॉड्यूलर ऑपरेटिंग रूम, ब्लड बैंक, 24-घंटे फार्मेसी, और केंद्रीय जांच प्रयोगशाला सहित सभी अत्याधुनिक सुविधाएं शामिल हैं।

अस्पताल को सभी महत्वपूर्ण अत्याधुनिक तकनीक से लैस किया गया है, और इसका लक्ष्य समय के साथ सभी सुविधाओं में लगातार सुधार करना है। कॉलेज वर्तमान में केवल एमबीबीएस कार्यक्रम प्रदान करता है।

6. नेताजी सुभाष मेडिकल कॉलेज एंड हॉस्पिटल, अमहारा, बिहटा, पटना

नेताजी सुभाष मेडिकल कॉलेज एंड हॉस्पिटल, अमहारा, बिहटा, पटना, बिहार, भारत में स्थित एक निजी मेडिकल कॉलेज है। कॉलेज की स्थापना वर्ष 2020 में हुई थी और यह आर्यभट्ट ज्ञान विश्वविद्यालय, पटना से सम्बंधित है।

कॉलेज एमबीबीएस (MBBS) और स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रमों में एनाटॉमी (Anatomy) , एनेस्थीसिया (Anesthesiology) , बायोकैमिस्ट्री (Biochemistry) , त्वचाविज्ञान (Dermatology), सामान्य चिकित्सा (General Medicine), प्रसूति और स्त्री रोग (Obstetrics and gynae), नेत्र विज्ञान (Ophthalmology), हड्डी रोग (Orthopedics), बाल रोग (Pediatrics) , मनोरोग (Psychiatry) , रेडियोलॉजी (Radiology), सर्जरी (Surgery), आदि जैसे विभिन्न विशिष्टताओं में स्नातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। कॉलेज में एक अच्छी तरह से है- 380 बेड से सुसज्जित अस्पताल, छात्रों को विभिन्न चिकित्सा विषयों में व्यावहारिक अनुभव प्रदान करता है।

कॉलेज के पास प्रतिबद्ध संकाय (experienced faculty) सदस्यों का एक समूह है जो सभी विशिष्टताओं में अत्यधिक कुशल हैं और जिनके पास स्नातक और स्नातक (undergraduate and postgraduate) दोनों स्तरों पर निर्देश देने का व्यापक अनुभव है। 

7. श्री नारायण चिकित्सा संस्थान और अस्पताल

श्री नारायण चिकित्सा संस्थान और अस्पताल सहरसा, बिहार में स्थित एक निजी मेडिकल कॉलेज है। यह 2021 में स्थापित किया गया था और वर्तमान में, कॉलेज एमबीबीएस (MBBS) स्नातक पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। श्री नारायण मेडिकल इंस्टीट्यूट एंड हॉस्पिटल का मिशन वंचित क्षेत्रों पर ध्यान देने के साथ बिहार के लोगों को व्यापक स्वास्थ्य सेवाएं और उच्च गुणवत्ता वाली चिकित्सा शिक्षा प्रदान करना है।

8. राधा देवी जागेश्वरी मेमोरियल मेडिकल कॉलेज और अस्पताल

प्राथमिक परिसर (primary campus) मुजफ्फरपुर, बिहार में स्थित है, जो भारत के उत्तर-पूर्व क्षेत्रों का प्रवेश द्वार है। डॉ. ए.पी.जे. अब्दुल कलाम, पूर्व भारतीय राष्ट्रपति, ने आधिकारिक तौर पर 16 जुलाई, 2009 को कैंपस की आधारशिला रखी थी। संस्था को स्वास्थ्य सेवा उद्योग में व्यापक विशेषज्ञता हासिल है, वे प्रभावी रूप से 350 बेड वाले अस्पताल का प्रबंधन करते हैं और वर्तमान में एमबीबीएस (MBBS) डिग्री प्रोग्राम के साथ-साथ सर्टिफिकेट/डिप्लोमा प्रोग्राम (Certificate/Diploma courses) भी प्रदान करते हैं। पैरामेडिकल क्षेत्र।

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SAGE updates COVID-19 vaccination guidance

Cristina Mitchell

28 Mar 2023

Psychologist Shawn Clarke is urging the Government to incorporate the existing services of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in efforts to address the whopping increase in mental health cases since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The founder and director of Supreme Counselling for Personal Development made the suggestion in response to a recent disclosure by Minister of Health Dr the Most Honourable Jerome Walcott that the number of Barbadians seeking assistance for mental health issues had risen more than 200 per cent in the last three years.

Speaking in the Senate last week, Minister Walcott acknowledged that given those statistics, “we need to look at public education and the stigma associated with mental health illness, [and] we need to look at community mental health”. 

“We need to integrate it totally into the polyclinic system. We are expanding the numbers of psychiatrists and counselling psychologists in the community because we need to move it into the community,” he had said.

While agreeing that was “a positive move”, Clarke emphasised the need for the Government to utilise services and programmes which smaller NGOs have already started.

“Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, there are a number of organisations in Barbados, like Supreme Counselling, who have been offering such services to the community, and we are on the ground. So, we know the people, we know where they are at, [and] we know the persons who would really need to access the services,” he told Barbados TODAY.

“We have to make these services readily available to the community and we also need to make it free of cost so that persons who need to access the services can do so.

“So it’s a good initiative but I think they need to collaborate more with the non-governmental organisations to access those services,” he added.

Clarke identified an initiative his NGO started in February under which he said its services have been decentralised and work is being done with specific communities, including The Pine, St Michael and Mason Hall Street,The City.

The psychologist told Barbados TODAY that given the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the statistics revealed by the Health Minister were not surprising.

“If I cast my mind as far back as the beginning of COVID when we had our first shutdown, I remember warning Barbados that we would have to put measures in place to deal with the backlash from COVID and the effect that it would have on young people and their mental psyche,” he said.

“I remember at that time also warning Barbados that when the children return to school, for the first month or so, it could not be school as usual. We could not just go straight back to teaching the academics, but the school needed to do a lot of work bringing in counsellors, working with the guidance counsellors and so on, doing sessions to help the young people to cope with what they would have been through. 

“So I am not at all surprised by the statistics laid . . . by the minister. We ourselves at Supreme Counselling would have seen an increase of young people coming in or requesting our services for depression and anxiety,” Clarke added.

During his contribution to the debate on the Appropriation Bill, 2023, Minister Walcott said that some of the violence displayed by students in schools appears to be linked to mental health issues. (SB)

The post NGOs, Gov’t can cooperate to address spike in mental health cases appeared first on Barbados Today.